Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan. 27 at Toronto Raptors
By Ti Windisch
Major Key For Toronto: Move The Ball
Although losing DeRozan will make it harder for the Raptors to do what they do, Toronto has a unique opportunity to try a slightly different offensive style while he’s sitting. DeRozan takes a lot of time and possessions to work on offense.
Without him there the Raptors lose points per game, but they could try to circumvent that by playing more shooters and trying to move the ball more. Toronto’s offense is effective as a machine built to get Lowry and DeRozan touches, but that style won’t really work without DeRozan.
Despite the Raptors not taking a lot of threes as a team, there are some decent shooters here. Toronto could send out a lineup of Lowry, Norman Powell, Terrence Ross, DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson and have five guys out there who can all take and make three-pointers.
The Raptors never go small–their most-used lineup without a traditional center is Lowry, DeRozan, Ross, Carroll and Patterson, and those five have played just 18 minutes together all season. It would be a shock to see Dwane Casey go small for significant stretches on Friday, but that lineup could be a good one.